The Chosen Four
by Painty the Majestic
Summary: Danielle Deathblood, a Necromancer, is chosen at a young age with three others as the Chosen Four to stop a future war between Theurgists and Necromancers. Through training, danger, fear, friendship, and with the help of some new friends, Danielle and the other three grow with much wisdom and strength to be sent to the battlefield. But can four teens stop a war?
1. Prologue

**Hi!**

**I've never read "Angels and Demons" or seen the movie. I just really liked the title.**

**As for OCs, I'll be taking three to follow Danielle on her journey and the rest will make appearances in the story. It would be easier for me if you'd PM me your OC, but I won't go ballistic if you put it in your review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wizard101.**

**~*Theurgists and Necromancers*~**

Wizard City used to be divied into two sides, the Life Side and the Death Side. The Life Side was always covered in greenery and most lively in the day. Every plant, flower, tree, and living thing was taken care of. Hardly anything ever died, and life-giving creatures such as Unicorns roamed. They healed the weak and the sick, the wounded and the broken. The Life Side always smelled fresh and full of vitality. Wizards who resided on the Life Side were called Theurgists.

Then there was the Death Side. It wasn't the complete opposite of the Life Side, but was for most part. The Death Side was barren and mostly active at night. While the Life Side had budding flowers that would bloom in the sunlight, the Death Side had creatures that fed in the moonlight. Skeletons and rotting limbs littered the place, and most of the buildings were run down and abandoned. Undead creatures such as Ghouls and Wraiths roamed, but they didn't do much. Daytime was mostly naptime. The air reeked of death and decay. The Wizards there were used to it, though. They were called Necromancers.

In other parts of the Spiral, the other five schools were at peace with each other. But Theurgists and Necromancers just couldn't get along.

A young girl in a black blanket sleeper walked up to the calender on her wall. She had black hair that went to her waist and emerald eyes. Her blanket sleeper had white polka dots on it. Her calender read September 1st. Her birthday, August 14th, had passed. She was eight years old.

Her name was Danielle Deathblood.

Danielle didn't like how Wizard City was separated. The Life Side was full of thorny flowers and so many trees and vines that would get you so tangled you'd have trouble breathing in that urban jungle. Not all Theurgists liked that. The Death Side was so dark and desolate you'd think you walked right into a horror movie. Not all Necromancers liked that.

"This separation has been going on for years," she said, talking to herself. She spun on her heel and exited her room. She walked down the steps of the small cottage and grabbed the front door's doorknob.

"David! I'm going to the Shopping District!"

"Stay off the green path!" David called back.

Danielle sighed at her older brother's words. Black ground, green ground, what was the difference?

She exited the cottage and turned the corner to enter the Shopping District tunnel. Because the Shopping District was on the Death Side of Wizard City, the Necromancers allowed the Theurgists to paint green pathways to every shop, and even a path that led to Olde Town. As much as she thought it was ridiculous, Danielle had no choice but to refrain from walking on the green path; Necromancers were punished for being in Theurgist territory, and vice versa.

Danielle hardly ever went to the Shopping District to buy anything. She usually only came to play with the only friends she had, which were twin ghoul brothers. Not all of them slept during the day. She waved to her creature friends, then walked towards them. Their favorite place to play was the mana fountain. Danielle was content, until she heard a voice say "Hey you! Necromancer!"

She froze. The first thing she did was look down at the ground she had been walking on.

Left foot on black, right foot on green.


	2. Chapter 1: Friend

**DeathySophia – Thanks for your review!**

**yinyanggirl12 – No, there's no specific form you have to fill out. :) You can just give me the profile.**

Danielle began to panic when she saw her foot on the green ground. She didn't dare move, running was futile. The girl was erudite, and she knew she could think of some way to escape whatever torture the Theurgist would unleash on her.

She moved her left foot next to her right one, now she was clearly standing on green ground. Not that it mattered to her, a Theurgist had already seen her.

A Theurgist with messy brown hair walked up to the young girl. "Hey, Necromancer. Don't you see what color this ground is? What do you think you're doing walking on it?"

Danielle looked up at the boy. He looked to be about 12, but Danielle had always been on the short side.

"I didn't mean to walk on it," Danielle replied. "Every Necromancer knows what happens when they walk on the green ground. It's always something horrible."

The Theurgist smirked. "That's right. And aren't you a Necromancer?"

"Yes."

"So you know what's gonna happen to you, right?"

Danielle twiddled with a piece of her hair. "W-Well I know it's gonna be something bad..."

Beautiful flute music was heard from above them. Both Danielle and the Theurgist looked up to see a young boy sitting on the roof of the dye shop playing a flute. Most of his hair was covered by his hood, but a few strands of short, silvery blonde hair poked out, framing his petite face. His jade eyes blinked before he spoke.

"You're making too much noise down there. I'd appreciate it if I could play my flute in peace."

The Theurgist smiled. "Many apologizes, fellow Theurgist. I'll just be on my way with this Necromancer-"

"Why?" the boy asked. His expression was bored, as if he knew everything the other Theurgist was going to say.

"She stepped on the ground forbidden by _her kind,_" he spat.

Danielle's eye twitched. "My kind?! So I'm a creature now? I look pretty human to me!"

The Theurgist growled. "You might as well be a creature! All you Necromancers do is kill and command what you kill. You're remorseless, spiteful, pitiful vermin that always smell like carcasses and will rot and be commanded by the next few Necromancers standing in line."

A vine reached up from the ground and wrapped around the boy's waist. It carefully lowered him down to the ground, then went back inside the earth. Before Danielle could retort, the boy walked up to them.

"Why don't you let me take her? I'm sure you could be of _better_ use somewhere else."

The Theurgist didn't catch the sarcasm. "It's alright, kid. I've got her. Run back home to Mommy now in time for your flute lessons."

The boy's droopy eyes began to get edgy. "You don't want to see me when I'm angry. Now run along and I'll handle her."

The Theurgist smirked. "Are you gonna make me?"

The boy handed Danielle his flute. "Would you mind holding this?"

Danielle took the flute and watched the boy walk up behind the Theurgist and stand with his back facing him. The boy grabbed his arm from behind, then ducked slightly as he flipped the Theurgist over him. He landed on his back, out cold from his head hitting the concrete.

The boy dusted himself before walking back over to Danielle and holding his hand. "My flute, if you please."

Danielle handed the boy his flute back, their fingers brushing slightly. A spark of life energy went through her. It felt foreign.

"Hey, who are you?" Danielle asked.

The boy looked at her. Jade eyes bore into emerald. Danielle studied his appearance. He wore a long black robe with a white shirt under it, brown pants, and brown shoes. He also had a green belt with a pouch attached to it.

"I'm Ronan Songwhisper," he muttered.

Danielle grinned. "I'm Danielle Deathblood."

"Nice to meet you." Ronan held out his hand, obviously not bothered by the fact that she was a Necromancer.

Danielle hesitantly took his hand and shook it. "You know I'm a Necromancer, right?"

Ronan nodded. "Your point is?"

Danielle's eyes widened. He was not like other Theurgists.

"Ah, never mind. Well Ronan, it's nice to meet you too. Thank you for helping me with that jerk."

"He was making too much fuss over such a small thing," Ronan muttered absentmindly.

Danielle looked down and saw she was still standing on the green ground. She sighed in exasperation.

"Are you going to take me to your leader now or whatever?"

Ronan shook his head. "No, no. But I do have one question."

Danielle tilted her head slightly in innocent curiosity. "What's that?"

"What in the name of all things peaceful are you doing standing on green ground? You know Necromancers aren't supposed to."

Danielle rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to. I just want to play with my friends," she replied, pointing to the undead frolicking and having fun near the mana fountain.

Ronan turned his head to look at the creatures, then looked back at Danielle. "Oh, I see. Well...I like you, Danielle. You seem to be a nice person, despite your school. I could really care less about anyone's school, I just want this fighting to end...no one has any peace of mind anymore."

Danielle nodded. "I agree."

Ronan looked back at the creatures. "Well, your friends are probably waiting for you. We'll meet again, Danielle."

With that, Ronan walked off to the tunnel leading to the Commons. Danielle watched his retreating form until he was out of sight, then looked down at the green ground she was still standing on. She 'eeped' and jumped onto the black ground.

Two tall shadows were behind Danielle. She turned around the face them, and saw it was two ghouls. She smiled at the two ghouls. They were the only friends she had amongst the creatures, Deadly and Decay Ghoulleom. They were twin ghoul brothers.

"Are you coming to play, Danielle?" Deadly asked.

"Or not?" Decay finished.

"Aww, of course you guys. I said I would, didn't I?"

Deadly raised a rotting eyebrow. "Who was that boy you were talking to?"

"That was Ronan Songwhisper, a Theurgist."

"Eww, those Theurgists drive me insane with their monologue about 'Mother Nature will condemn us all'," Decay sneered.

"They're conceited brats," Deadly said.

"They're also egocentric," Decay added.

"Guys, guys. Ronan's not like that," Danielle assured them. "Ronan's really nice. He said we'd meet again, and I'm looking forward to it. Now who's ready to play?"

Deadly and Decay did a 'come on' motion with their hands. Danielle grinned and ran at them, ready to play whatever they had in mind.

**o-o-o-o**

Danielle opened the front door of the small cottage and walked it, closing and locking it behind her. Her blanket sleeper was slightly worn from the several times she had gone to play in it, but she didn't mind sleeping in it anyway. She covered her mouth as she yawned, then trudged up the stairs to her room. David and Emily were probably asleep. Emily was her younger sister, but she was a Pyromancer.

Danielle flopped on her bed and tried to drift off into dreamland, but she heard zaps of magic outside. She sighed, grabbed her pillow, and groggily walked over to the window. A Theurgist and a Necromancer were having a magic duel over Bartleby knows what. Theurgists and Necromancers hardly ever had friendly duels, so who knew what they were fighting about now.

"Why can't we ever just stop," she asked herself as she walked back to her bed, put her pillow in it's spot, and laid down.


	3. Chapter 2: The Chosen Four

**Okay, so I've already got three OCs to follow Danielle on her journey, but I'm still accepting OCs to make appearances.**

**To prevent confusion, I'll say it now: Danielle is currently eight. The friends she meets will be eight as well, and they will grow up to be their original ages as the story goes on.**

**DeathySophia – I'm sorry, I misread your name. xD I thought it said "DeadlySophia".**

The sun was rising over Wizard City. Several undead were crawling back into coffins, graves, or whatever they slept in to get a good day's rest.

Danielle was an early bird. Her eyes flew open when the first few rays of morning sunlight were shining through her window. Sitting up, she slipped out of her bed and made it. She stretched, then looked out her window.

_'I wonder where Ronan is? I kinda miss him, he was the nicest Theurgist I've ever met...'_

Then Danielle had an idea. Maybe she could find him!

She bounded to the bathroom and grabbed her black toothbrush and squirted some toothpaste on it, then proceeded to brush her teeth. Then she ran down the stairs and out the door.

Danielle sighed. She didn't know where to start looking! Ronan could be anywhere!

"Looking for someone, Danielle?" said a familiar voice.

"Or is someone looking for you?" said another familiar voice.

Danielle laughed. "I'm looking for someone, you two. Ghouls can smell bodies, dead or alive. Can either of you smell a Theurgist for me?"

Deadly cackled maliciously. "A Theurgist? Are you trying to get yourself into trouble, Danielle?"

Decay nodded. "I agree with Deadly. A Necromancer trying to find a Theurgist is like a Pyromancer wearing flammable clothes. It just doesn't make sense."

Deadly's slimy, dead fingers curled into a fist and rested softly against Danielle's cheek, thumb rubbing the soft flesh. "Who's the Theurgist, little Danielle?"

Danielle smiled. "Ronan Songwhisper."

Deadly closed his eyes and concentrated. He smelled wizards of all schools, sweet fragrances, icky stenches, and his favorite smell of all: rotten. Faces ran through Deadly's head as smells ran through his nostrils. Danielle and Decay stared longingly at Deadly as they waited for him to snap out of his concentrated stupor.

Deadly's lifeless eyes slowly opened and a devious grin was on his face. "I smell him."

Danielle's face lit up. "You do? Where?"

Deadly's face scrunched up. "He's in Olde Town...with a Sorcerer and a Necromancer. They smell of flowers and honey...uuuuugghh."

"YAAAH!" Decay screeched, making Danielle and Deadly press their fingers into their ear canals. "FLOWERS?! HONEY?! THE HORROR!" The younger ghoul zoomed towards Elik's Edge, curled into a violently shivering ball. He wanted to get as far away from the smell as possible.

Deadly facepalmed. "Oh, we always go through this...Just go into Olde Town, you can't miss Ronan. I have to calm down Sir Fragrancephobia," he muttered as he stalked over to Decay.

"Thanks Deadly! Bye Decay!" Danielle called as she ran into Olde Town.

**o-o-o-o**

When Danielle entered Olde Town, she heard talking coming from her right. Turning her head, she saw Ronan talking with two other female wizards. Danielle growled as a pang of jealousy ran through her. Deciding against violence, she decided to call to him. "Ronan!"

Ronan looked forward, eyes wide open in curiosity of who called him. The other two wizards looked behind them to see who it was as well.

"Danielle?"

Said girl ran up to him. "Hey Ronan! How's it going?"

Ronan gave her a warm smile. "Good. How's it going with you?"

"Good!"

Ronan chuckled when he saw she was still wearing her blanket sleeper. "Do you ever wear anything else?"

Danielle fidgeted with her fingers. "Uh...sometimes...not really...um, no. No I don't. Why should I bother buying clothes when my sleeper is comfortable?"

The Sorcerer held out her hand to Danielle. "Hey, I'm Scarlet Silverhunter. Nice to meet you."

Danielle took Scarlet's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Danielle Deathblood."

The Necromancer smirked. "Heh, are you a Necromancer too?"

"Um, yes. Why?"

"I'm Ravira Lifekiller. Finally another Necromancer around here, for some reason I keep seeing a bunch of these green-loving goody two-shoes."

Danielle raised an eyebrow. "Goody two-shoes?"

Ravira rolled her eyes. "Lemme guess, you're friends with the guy?"

"Um, yeah?"

Ravira tapped her wand in her palm. "Meh. Theurgists make me sick. I hate them."

"Oh, is that why your last name is Lifekiller?" Ronan sneered.

Ravira grinned sadistcally. "Good guess, goody two-shoes!"

Even though Ravira was quite harsh, Danielle knew she was going to like her. She already liked Ronan and Scarlet, and hopefully, by some miracle, perhaps Ravira would grow to like Ronan. Danielle began laughing as she watched Ronan and Ravira argue with Scarlet trying to stop them.

A tall shadow loomed over the four, making them freeze. Danielle's now frozen fingers that had been holding her tummy began to twitch with black death energy that she was about to unleash on whoever was behind her.

"Would you four happen to be Danielle Deathblood, Ronan Songwhisper, Scarlet Silverhunter, and Ravira Lifekiller?"

Each of them perked up when their names were said. Danielle turned around and saw a tall yellow-eyed teenager in a black cloak. Fingers still twitching with energy, she replied, "We are, why?"

The man smiled. "Ronan is a Theurgist, Scarlet is a Sorcerer, and Ravira and Danielle are Necromancers, correct?"

All four of them nodded.

"Excellent. Come with me, there is something you all must see." The teen twirled around, holding up his large white staff. Sparkles in a soft cream color surrounded the four children and the man.

The last thing they saw was a giant green ball fly into Olde Town and explode, and the last thing they heard were war cries before they disappeared.

**o-o-o-o**

Cream sparkles twinkled in a swirl before the teen and the four wizards appeared. They were in the Balance school, but it was deserted. Alhazred, Shalek, Khaba, and Khai were nowhere in sight and the school was mangled. Desks were overturned, books and papers were everywhere, and blood had been splattered on the walls. The children's lips had been parted slightly in shock at the destruction caused to the school.

"Wh-What happened here?" Ronan asked softly, the blood on the wall creeping him out.

"Don't be afraid. It was merely a fight gone horribly wrong," the teenager told him.

"Who are you, anyway?" Danielle murmured, once again fidgeting with her fingers. Ronan noticed she did that a lot when she seemed nervous.

The teen chuckled. He turned around and removed the hood of his cloak to reveal soft shoulder-length orange hair with bangs that hung in his face. His yellow eyes held sorrow and wisdom, and his white staff was clenched tightly in his right hand. His clothes weren't visible because his cloak was covering them, but Danielle could see he wasn't wearing shoes. His feet were covered in bandages.

"I'm Nathaniel," he replied.

"Nathaniel?" Ravira perked up in mock excitement. "Oh my gosh, it's Nathaniel! I've never met him before in my life and he kidnapped me and my...acquaintances and took us to the bloody, messy Balance school and has yet to tell us why we're here!"

Danielle snickered at the other Necromancer's sarcasm. Nathaniel rolled his eyes.

"You're here because you children are the Chosen Four."

Ravira's eyebrows rose. "Chosen Four?"

"Yes. Something very...dangerous will occur in the near future. It's extremely powerful, it may even kill us all..."

"Wh-What's that?" Danielle whimpered.

Nathaniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "A war."

"A war?"

Nathaniel re-opened his eyes."Yes. Lately, the Theurgists and the Necromancers have been fighting each other more than usual, and they will a war that will span all throughout the Spiral. Many innocent lives will perish, and much blood will be shed. Even young children such as you four, if the opposite school saw one of you, despite you being a child who couldn't pose much of a threat, they will kill you."

Four hearts skipped a beat in sync. Different thoughts were running through each of their heads, but all of them were terrified.

"What of the other schools?" Scarlet asked. "What will happen to them?"

"They will be killed as well if they interfere."

"So, um, what did you mean by we're the Chosen Four?" Ronan asked quickly, trying to change the depressing subject.

Nathaniel smiled warmly. "A prophecy had been found in one of the tombs of the Krokosphinx. A Necromancer had found it, and he took it to Alhazred. Wise as he is, Shalek had already told Alhazred about the coming war and the prophecy. They just hadn't found the scroll yet. But when the Necromancer brought the scroll, Alhazred was fighting off several Theurgists and Necromancers that wanted to destroy the scroll to prevent anyone from stopping the war. Alhazred defeated them all easily, but that's why the school looks like this. Alhazred read the scroll and bestowed upon the Necromancer the job of finding the Chosen Four. That Necromancer, was me."

Danielle's jaw dropped. "_You _found the prophecy?"

"You're a Necromancer?!" Ravira shouted, pointing a finger at Nathaniel.

"Yes I did, and yes I am."

"D-Do you have it? Can we see it?"

Reaching into his cloak pocket, Nathaniel pulled out a dusty old scroll. It was wearing at the corners and torn around the edges, and smelled a bit rotten. Nathaniel opened the scroll and turned it around so the young wizards could see. The scroll was quite long, trailing until it reached Danielle's feet.

On the scroll was a picture of all four of them with their backs to each other, looking around. They looked exactly the same way they did now, with their names under their feet. Splotches of red were around them, along with figures lying on the ground appearing to be corpses. Next to their names were the symbols of their respective schools, and underneath that, in bleeding, black letters:

_**The Prophecy Of The Chosen Four**_

_**December 15th, 2003**_

**Theurgists and Necromancers have been enemies for as long as I can remember. The Necromancers walk on black ground that's been imbued with dark magic. It always smells horrible on their side, the rotten stench of corpses could make someone's nose go numb. You could say it rained skeletons in that place, and most of them still have pieces of black flesh dangling off of the arms or wrist by a decaying tendon, or maggots crawling into the eye holes with what flesh they could get to hide from the vultures that try to eat not only the corpse, but the maggots too. Surprising as it is, it's rare to see maggots or vultures.**

**The Theurgists are the opposite. The ground is always covered in moss and flowers, but it smells like they use too much perfume or air freshener. A nose could also go numb from such a smell. There are several sprouts, saplings, fully grown trees, shrubs, lush bushes, and any other kind of plant life you can think of. They also have enormous flytraps to eat the bugs that try to feed from their plants.**

**I feel something terrible will happen in the near future. The new year is right around the corner, what will it new year bring? I fear a war may start, and only four children, yes children, can stop it. Two are Necromancers, one is a Theurgist, and one is a Sorcerer.**

**The first is Danielle Deathblood. She is very friendly, a bit shy, but lovable Necromancer.**

**The second is Ronan Songwhisper. He is quiet and likes to keep to himself, but will always protect his friends. He was Danielle's first human friend.**

**The third is Scarlet Silverhammer, a flirtatious Sorcerer with a lot of heart.**

**The fourth is Ravira Lifekiller, a fearless Necromancer with a hatred for Theurgists. Despite her brash attitude, she has feelings as well and fears something, as everyone does.**

**These are the Chosen Four, and they will stop the war.**

**-The Prophet**

Nathaniel rolled up the scroll and put it back in his pocket. "Do you four understand now? It's up to you guys."

"But I still don't understand what you expect us to do!" Danielle cried, beginning to panic.

"Calm down. I'm not sure what you're supposed to do either, but follow me, I know where Alhazred and Shalek are now. I think they can tell you what you need to do."

Nathaniel walked out of the Balance school and climbed up the ladder, the four children following. When they reached the surface, Danielle and Ronan exchanged worried looks. They were both thinking the same thing.

How can anyone expect four eight-year-olds to stop a war between armies of undead and nature?


	4. Chapter 3: Here's What We'll Do

**DeathySophia – You think so? Well thanks, I'll try not to make anything else like that seem too straightforward. :3 Thanks for your review!**

**yinyanggirl12 – I found that out, thanks. xD I went back and fixed it, don't worry. It says she's a Sorcerer now.**

**DawnShadowQueen – Thanks. ^^ Was Ravira in character?**

Nathaniel led the children to the Entrance Hall, where Alhazred and Shalek were standing. They were muttering amongst each other, but Danielle heard the words 'prophecy' and 'mistake'.

"Alhazred, Master Shalek," Nathaniel spoke, alerting the Kroks of his presence. They both turned to face him, eyes widening when they saw the young wizards. Ronan wondered why Nathaniel said 'master'.

Shalek smiled and nodded. "You have done well, Nathaniel. You have brought the Chosen Four, just as you were asked to do so."

Alhazred sighed deeply. "If this prophecy is true-"

"It is," Shalek growled, interrupting the balance teacher.

"-then you four are destined to stop the future war between life and death. There is a way for the opposites to live together in harmony, like the other schools. But you four have to show them that."

Ravira's eye twitched. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"You will be trained in body, mind, and soul. I will train you in body, Nathaniel will train you in mind, and Shalek will train you in soul. The training will assist you in completing your foretold task."

"Um, why do we need training for this?" Scarlet asked, twiddling with a loose thread on Nathaniel's cloak.

"Training you in body will help your endurance in the event any of you get hurt or injured. Training you in mind will help your intelligence and sanity. Children young as you may become traumatized at the sight of so much blood and death, even you two, Danielle and Ravira. Even Necromancers can be driven to insanity, and some even commit suicide to put themselves out of their misery."

Danielle bit her lip. _'Suicide? Is it really that bad that they had to commit suicide?'_

"Training you in soul will help your magic, and keep you pure. Because your magical abilities are a combination of your body, mind, and soul, training in all three will greatly strengthen your magic.

"What do you mean by pure?" Danielle asked.

Alhazred visibly saddened. "Wars are caused by many different people and creatures, child wizards. But the war you're going to is not meant for children. There are many horrors of war...you must keep your purity. If you become influenced by dark thoughts, it would be catastrophic."

A small rumble sounded through Danielle's ears. Looking at everyone else, it seemed that only she heard it. But she knew what it was.

Danielle rubbed her empty stomach. She hadn't eaten anything all day, but she was just realizing she was hungry. Shalek noticed the appendage rubbing the area of the empty organ, and raised a knowing eyebrow.

"Hungry are we, Danielle? You must all be. You will all have a good meal, then you will sleep. You as well, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel nodded. "I will, Master."

"What do you mean, master?" Ronan pulled on the sleeve of Nathaniel's cloak, making the orange-haired teen look down at him.

"Master Shalek has also trained me, the same way you four will be trained."

Shalek chuckled. "Yes, Nathaniel was a smart one. I trained him when he was a little older than you all. He certainly wasn't a quick learner, no it took time for him to do things right. But once he did, he was brilliant. But his appearance...his orange hair, yellow eyes, his black robe, didn't like wearing shoes...to this day, he still reminds me of a scarecrow."

Nathaniel paled slightly, and suddenly found the ground very interesting.

Danielle stared at Nathaniel, a worried expression on her face. The teen really did look like a scarecrow, was that insulting somehow?

"Oh," Ronan murmured.

Shalek clapped his hands together. "Well, you'll need all the sleep you can get, so let's be on our way." He turned to the balance teacher. "Alhazred?"

Alhazred raised his staff, a tan-colored light shining like a star on the tip. Beams of light flew from it, surrounding them all. In one blinding flash, they all disappeared.

**o-o-o-o**

The children gaped at the room would be staying in. Nathaniel laughed.

"Believe me, I was just as astonished the first time I saw this place."

The room was as big as a royal's room. The walls were tan, and the floor was white carpet. Four beds were lined up side by side. The first had white sheets with a black pillow and blanket. The second one had green sheets, brown pillow and blanket. The third one had red sheets, tan pillow and blanket. The fourth one looked the same as the first. The wall opposite to their beds had a large window that almost covered the entire wall. The wall they were facing had four desks, all of them covered in some type of random entertainment such as art supplies, magic books, stuffed animals, and other stuff. Above the two middle desks was a large paper taped to the wall.

**Training Schedule**

**7:00 – Wake, prepare for the day**

**7:20 – Training (Body, Alhazred)**

**8:20 – Training (Mind, Nathaniel)**

**9:20 – Break**

**10:20 – Training (Soul, Shalek)**

"We will provide you with clothing, food, baths, warm milk, or anything else you may need," Alhazred explained.

"Will you four be okay for now?" Nathaniel asked.

Danielle held her fist out, her thumb slowly rising.

"We'll be okay. Thanks, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel smiled warmly, then left the room. Alhazred followed.

"Nathaniel will bring you all some food," Shalek said before leaving as well.

Danielle sighed. She knew this training wasn't going to be easy, but with the help and support of her friends, they could all do it. Walking over to Ronan, she tapped the silvery blonde-haired boy and when he turned to face her, she hugged him. Ronan blushed deeply and hugged her back.

"U-Um, Danielle? Why are you hugging me?"

"Because I knew you would accept it. We'll get through his training and stop the war, all four of us will be fine."

Ronan wasn't sure if it was because Danielle said it, or because he really did believe all four of them would succeed, but he believed her.


	5. Chapter 4: Let's Start The Training

**DeathySophia – Oh, you'll find out who Nathaniel is soon. And yeah, the ending was cute.**

**yinyanggirl12 - *hugs back***

**DawnShadowQueen – Glad to hear new chapters make you say "yay!" ^^**

**Daniel – I'd love to have Daniel appear in the story, but you left out a lot of information. What does he wear? What weapon does he have? Is that all of his backstory? What's his secondary school? I need to know these things. :3**

After a good meal, the four children had a bath and played with some of the knickknacks and other stuff on their desks. Soon it was time for them to get some sleep.

"Sleep well, child wizards," Alhazred said as he backed out of the room, closing the door behind him

Danielle stared at the ceiling in the moonlit room. Thoughts of what tomorrow would bring buzzed around in her head like a bunch of angry bees. What would the training be like? How hard would it be? How long would it take them to finish?

"What do you guys think tomorrow will be line? Danielle turned her head to the left to face her friends.

"I think it'll be okay," Ronan said, sliding his flute under his pillow.

"I think it'll be pretty cool," Scarlet said. "I've never been trained before."

"I'm not worried," Ravira murmured. "Me, you, and Scarlet will be fine. Can't say much for the Theurgist though."

Ronan scowled. "You'd be quite foolish to anger me, Ravira."

Ravira laughed. "Please. You're lucky we're in this together, or I'd have you beaten to a pulp right now."

"Good luck trying. My flute has more value than you think, and Danielle's even witnessed what happens to people who get on my nerves."

"Oh really? What happened, Danielle? Butterflies flew around the other guy and lulled him to sleep?" Ravira fluttered her fingers and batted her lashes in mock cuteness.

Danielle massaged her temples. "Well, no. Actually, he was sitting on a roof and a vine came from the ground and helped him down."

"How cute. I would've stayed on the roof and watched the dead mess with him."

The Theurgist smirked. "Oh, it'll be quite cute when I surpass you in our training tomorrow. It'll be adorable."

Ravira snapped up. "What?! You must be out of your mind, Theurgist. You'd never make it past the body training, and even if you did, your magic is and always will be weak."

"At least my magic doesn't involve turning peaceful corpses into undead slaves."

"Slaves? They're not slaves! So what they're enchanted with magic, that's what we do. I could say the same for you about nature."

A vein pulsed on the left side of Ronan's forehead. "Give me a break, Ravira. Theurgists and nature are like one. We work together. Necromancers summon what they want, have them do their bidding, then throw them back to the grave."

The other Necromancer wasn't upset at what Ronan was saying about Necromancy; she was upset because two of her only friends were fighting.

"Enough!" she shouted. "You guys are acting like the other Theurgists and Necromancers, hating each other! Please stop fighting! I can't sleep, and..." Danielle trailed off, her eyes becoming droopy. She fell backwards, the bed making a low 'thump' and creaking noises under her weight.

"...it's not...healthy..."

Danielle's voice faded away, her body going limp as she fell into a deep slumber.

Ronan stared at the window, eying the full moon. Danielle was right. Not saying a word, he got comfortable under his covers and closed his eyes. Ravira and Scarlet did the same.

_'I hope we can all get along eventually,'_ Scarlet thought sadly.

**o-o-o-o**

The warm sunlight shone through the window. The only sound in the room was soft breathing. The bedroom door creaked open, feet making their way to Danielle's bed. An aged reptilian hand softly shook the emerald-eyed Necromancer. She whimpered and stirred, turning her back to the hand. A sigh, then she was shaken again.

"Wake up, little Danielle. Today, your journey begins."

Danielle stirred once more before her eyeballs unwillingly pushed up the warm covering of her eyelids.

"Shalek?" she murmured.

"Time to wake, little Danielle. You have training."

Little murmurs and other soft noises escaped Danielle's lips as she slowly sat up, rubbing at her eye. She turned to look at the other three child wizards who were getting up as well.

"Prepare to be shown up, Theurgist," Ravira leaped out of bed and bounded out of the room.

"I have a name!" Ronan growled, running after her, Scarlet following suit.

It bothered Danielle to see Ronan angry. Why did Ravira hate Theurgists so much? Did something happen to her? Or was she just a troublemaker?

She snapped out of her thoughts when a neatly folded outfit was handed to her.

"Here, Danielle," she recognized that voice as Nathaniel's. "Put these. Master Shalek got this especially for you. It'd be a little tough to train in your blanket sleeper."

Danielle took the clothes. "Thanks. Hey Nathaniel, can I ask you something?"

Nathaniel perked up. "Sure! What's on your mind, kiddo?"

"Well, do you have a problem with...um, scarecrows?" she hesitated.

As soon as the word left Danielle's lips, Nathaniel's eyebrows creased. He didn't say anything for a long time, and the silence was starting to unnerve Danielle.

"Uh, Nathaniel?"

Nathaniel blinked, eyes wide. He stared at the girl for a few seconds before remembering her question. He smiled sadly and ruffled her long black hair.

"I don't have a problem with them, they're my family. I just thought everyone else had a problem with us." With that, Nathaniel left the room.

Danielle didn't understand Nathaniel's response, but she didn't have time to question him further. She laid out the clothes on her bed. It was a thigh-length black robe and pants. The robe was all black, with white cuffs and rims. The collar was black. On the back were hieroglyphics of corpses following a cloaked human with a staff. Under that, in bleeding white letters, was **"The fear of death confounds me"**. The pants had white cuffs, with a black waistband.

It appeared to be a Necromancer's cloak made in Krokotopia. Grinning, Danielle quickly put the outfit on, pulled something from under her bed, and ran out.

**o-o-o-o**

After they finished preparation, the four magical children stood side by side in front of Alhazred. Ronan noticed Danielle's staff. It was black with a large skull at the top. A red crack was on the right side of its forehead.

"You have a staff? How come we've never seen it?"

Danielle shrugged. Alhazred raised his staff and 12 Lightning Bats were summoned around them. They crackled with electricity as they flapped their wings to stay airborne.

"Do you children think you can handle more than this?" Alhazred asked with concern.

They turned their heads to exchange looks, then nodded in unison.

Alhazred smiled and nodded. "There is no way to know what secondary magic the Theurgists and Necromancers know. So you must be prepared for anything. If you four can endure this, I will give you something harder."

The children braced themselves for the pain they knew would come. The Lightning Bats circled them closely, bursts of electricity popping them all over. At first it wasn't that painful; they had been hit by Lightning Bats several times. But soon it began to hurt. Danielle started whimpering as she clutched her sides. Electricity zapped exposed skin, and she ground her teeth together. She cracked her eyes open, turning her head to see how the others were holding up.

Unfortunately, they weren't doing so hot either.

"That's enough," Alhazred said, waving his staff and making the Lightning Bats disappear.

The four sparking children pressed their palms into their knees, panting.

"Had enough?" the balance teacher asked.

"Give us your...best shot..." Ravira breathed.

"Positive?"

"Positive!" Ravira snarled. _'All this training will help with my revenge. I'll make sure to pummel every Theurgist I see on that battlefield, including Ronan.'_

Danielle nodded, a determined expression on her face. "We don't know what the war will bring. I think we should try and see if we can handle it."

Scarlet put a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "I agree with Danielle." She turned to the silvery blonde-haired boy behind them. "Ronan, what do you think?"

Said Theurgist stared at the marble floor of the training room for a few seconds. They had to try, they had to! To be prepared, just in case! But this training could injure them, paralyze them, kill them! What to do...

"...We have to try."

Alhazred smiled and began to twirl his staff. Danielle twitched. She thought she saw a trace of malice in his smile.

A flash of white light temporarily blinded the four, making shield their eyes. When the light faded, they lowered their hands, only to have their eyes widen in shock. Standing before them was a Hydra, a Wraith, a Minotaur, a Centaur, and a Locust Swarm. Danielle looked at Alhazred again, and she was sure his smile was malicious now.

"Endure this!" he snapped, pointing his staff at them and initiating the onslaught of pain.

Danielle's jaw hung open. _'He's lost his mind!'_

**Whoa, it looks like Alhazred's trying to kill them! But don't worry, the next chapter will reveal some new stuff, like _why _Alhazred's gone cuckoo. **

**I'll see you then!**


	6. Chapter 5: Saved By The Flute

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews! Reviews are always helpful! The new OCs will appear in the next few chapters.**

**DawnShadowQueen – Saying yay is fun. ^^ Always happy to hear it.**

**DeathySophia – I'm glad you liked it. She was more worried about ending the fight than she was about what Ronan was saying, but she did take **_**some **_**offense to it.**

**Duck – Sure, just give me the biography and I'll put your OC in.**

**Daniel – Thank you! I'll put him in.**

**NightSkyWolves – Thank you very much! I'll put her in.**

**yinyanggirl12 – Yes, yes he has. You'll find out why.**

The children were frozen in their tracks, staring death in the face. What was Alhazred thinking?

The Hydra emitted an earsplitting roar, stirring up an elemental tornado. Searing fire, bone-numbing ice, and shockingly deadly storm swirled around the children in a breathtaking but dangerous vortex. They shielded their faces with their arms; Ronan making sure his hood was on snug.

"Th-This is too much! Have you lost your mind?!" Ronan cried, trying to see clearly despite the freezing wind blowing in his face.

"No, I haven't! I just know you four _can't possibly _be the Chosen Four! You're just kids! That prophecy was a mistake!"

Danielle blinked. A mistake? She wracked her brain for the memory of where she heard something similar to that before.

_Nathaniel led the children to the Entrance Hall, where Alhazred and Shalek were standing. They were muttering amongst each other, but Danielle heard the words 'prophecy' and 'mistake'._

"_Alhazred, Shalek," Nathaniel spoke, alerting the Kroks of his presence. They both turned to face him, eyes widening when they saw the child wizards._

_Shalek smiled. "You have done well, Nathaniel. You have brought the Chosen Four, just as you were asked."_

_Alhazred sighed deeply. "If this prophecy is true-"_

"_It is," Shalek growled, interrupting the balance teacher._

So that's what she heard! It finally dawned on her. Alhazred never believed in the prophecy to begin with! He thought them being the Chosen Four was a mistake!

To give them some protection from the Hydra's elemental attacks, Scarlet casted Elemental Shields on everyone, including herself.

"You never believed in the prophecy at all, did you?! WHOA!" Danielle shrieked, dodging slashes from the Wraith's scythe.

"No, no I didn't. The first time Nathaniel brought it to me, I couldn't believe what I had read! Bartleby had chosen a bunch of mere children?! It was absurd! And Alekshire had supported that nonsense by writing the prophecy?! It made no sense!"

"Who's…Alekshire? Was he…the Prophet?" Ravira grunted, struggling to keep her fire shield up long enough to protect her from a large blast of fire.

"Yes, he was the Prophet. And he was Danielle's grandfather."

Danielle took a step forward. "My grandfather was the Prophet?!"

"Well I've got a question! Are you trying to kill us?! OWW!" Ronan cried out, pain surging through him as a few locusts bit his arm.

Alhazred examined his nails in boredom. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Yes?!" the Theurgist retorted in disbelief, as if that was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

"Why are you…ugh, doing this?" Scarlet asked while recovering from being hit by an ice ball.

The seemingly insane Krok shot a bolt of balance magic at Scarlet, seizing the opportunity to attack her while she was down. The Sorcerer was sent flying, landing with a loud 'thump'.

'_I've got to use my flute!' _Ronan panicked, holding up the sacred instrument.

"If you four are out of the picture, that gives me the chance to find the _real _Chosen Four!" Alhazred cackled, sending shivers down the children's spines.

The Minotaur charged at the barely conscious Scarlet, axe raised and snorting a war cry. Ronan, noticing this, ducked behind his disintegrating storm shield to avoid a great deal of damage from the burst of electricity from the Hydra. Raising his flute to his lips, he began to play a soothing melody. As he played, he checked on his friends. Danielle was trying to fight the Wraith, Scarlet was trying to keep her eyes open, and Ravira was fighting the Centaur. The locusts were everywhere, biting everyone somewhere. Ronan swatted his hand to shoo them away.

Fatigue began to overtake the children. The Hydra puffed up all six of its cheeks, storing energy for one final all out elemental blast. Four sets of eyes widened in fear.

"IT'S OVER!" Alhazred screamed as the Hydra spewed out fire, ice, and storm in a raging triple spiral.

Small giggles and sounds of wings fluttering were heard as the children were swamped by the elemental magic. A Nature's Wrath grew in the middle of the room, and began throwing rocks at the creatures Alhazred summoned. Pixies and Sprites flew around the beaten up kids. They raised their hands, healing magic swirling around them.

Alhazred snarled and turned to the creatures. "Kill them!"

"Hey guys, your b-"

Blink…

Blink…

Blink.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Nathaniel cried, pulling a Vampire card out and casting it. Pointing his staff at Alhazred, the Vampire turned into a bat and pushed the coffin door open. He flew at Alhazred, fangs bared, biting him before he could react. The Krok felt dizzy, darkness clouding his vision. He began to sway, and finally fainted when the Vampire released his hold on his neck. He licked his red-tinted lips in appreciation before fading away.

Nathaniel ran over to the children, who all landed in the same spot. "A-Are you guys okay?"

No answer. When he began to panic, a Sprite flew in his face, startling him and making fall backwards on his rear.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, but please don't wake them," the sweet voice spoke. "They've been through a lot and need a nap. We healed them to the best of our abilities, but the best way for them to fully recover is to let them rest. If Ronan hadn't summoned us, they might have died."

Nathaniel let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Skeletal Pirate card. Casting it, he pointed at Scarlet and Ravira. "Help me get them to their room. Thank you, Sprite."

The Sprite smiled and disappeared in a flourish of life magic. Nathaniel put Ronan on his back, and carried Danielle in his arms.

'_Master Shalek's gonna love this…'_


	7. Chapter 6: The Scarecrow's Tears

**Whoa! I am so sorry about how long it took for this update! I have all kinds of things I've been doing. I won't extend this author note longer than it needs to be with details, but here's the next chapter! Don't hurt me!**

**NightSkyWolves – Thank you! And you're welcome!**

**JessicaRavenGlade – He is, isn't he? xD**

**DeathySophia - I had a feeling you'd like that title.**

**DawnShadowQueen – He was being sarcastic. xD Thank you!**

**yinyanggirl12 – Thank you for the PM explaining your review. ^^'**

**Duck – Here's your update! What color is William's hair?**

**Daniel - It makes me feel fuzzy inside that you check every week. :3**

After the battle with Alhazred, the children had been fixed up and laid to rest. The sprites had saved them from death, but they truly weren't ready for a battle of that magnitude, as they had just started their training and they were fighting a master of balance. Nathaniel had been gravely upset, worried about the children's condition and if there was any hope to stop the war now. Shalek had been furious, chewing Alhazred out so bad that Nathaniel was scared _for _the balance teacher.

"This is terrible..." Nathaniel muttered to himself, running a hand through his shoulder-length orange hair. He was kneeling at Danielle's bedside, watching the injured girl sleep. All four children had been bandaged and were resting in their respective beds. Due to their injuries, the children were unable to train. But time waits for no one, and Nathaniel knew this all too well.

"Why does everyone I care about have to get hurt?" Nathaniel whimpered, lying on the floor next to Danielle's bed. Closing his eyes tightly, he remembered everything before Shalek found him. He remembered his family and what happened to them. It was painful...

_"Yaaaah," Nathaniel murmured to some children walking by the cornfield that he resided in. Whenever people walked by, he would say things to them. He was trying to be scary, doing his own form of training to be an exceptional companion for an aspiring Necromancer._

_'I know I can do this! I know I can do anything...if I try hard enough.'_

_An explosion startled the young scarecrow out of his thoughts. Whipping around, his eyes widened in horror as he watched a large fire lick the sunset sky and begin to burn the cornfield._

_"Th-The cornfield!" Nathaniel shrieked, reaching a hand out as if he could put out the fire from where he was. Screams filled the air, frightening Nathaniel even more. Despite his fear, he bolted for the barn where the rest of his family was._

_**o-o-o-o**_

_Shaky handless sleeves gripped the side of the doorway. His entire body was shaking, making it hard to remain levitating __**(1)**__. Peeking inside the barn, he whimpered, barely audible, "M-Mom?"_

_But his voice was clearly heard after he screamed at the top of his fabric lungs. The bodies of his scarecrow family burned ferociously, their pumpkin heads split open with the seeds and mush falling out._

_To a human, it would be a mere disappointed. Oh boo hoo, the scarecrows are destroyed. They were fun while they lasted._

_To Nathaniel, it was like death had taken his family from him and thrown the remains in his face, beckoning him to die as well._

_The scarecrow shut his eyes tightly, tears cascading down his face. Perhaps it would've been better if he hadn't seen that. But the only way he couldn't have seen it was if he had ran off without checking to see if his family was okay._

_But he would never do that._

_Slowly backing away, Nathaniel's glowing yellow eyes scanned the area and he became more and more horrified. Bodies of his cousins, grandmothers, grandfathers, and other family members were strewn about the firey cornfield. Some were charred and others were still burning, the pumpkin heads melting and their fabric bodies becoming ashes._

_Nathaniel couldn't take anymore. He ran____from the barn, leaving everything to burn._

_**o-o-o-o**_

_Hot tears were blurring his vision. The smoke from the fire wasn't bothering him because there was already a candle inside his head. He was used to smelling smoke. But in all honesty, he __**wished**_ _he could pass out from too much smoke in his fabric lungs. He __**wished **__his body caught on fire so he could burn to death as well. He __**wished **__he would stop running already so he could wait for something to fall on and crush him. Anything, just so he could forget what he had just seen._

_He would never be able to return back to the barn. He would have to find some way to live on his own..._

_'No more,' _Nathaniel told himself in his head, pulling at his own hair to snap himself out of his nightmarish memory. He blinked through teary eyes at Danielle's body, smiling sadly.

"The rest of the tale is simple, Danielle. Being a death school pet, I messed with necromancy and turned myself into a human. Shalek found me, trained me, and I became wiser as I grew older." A sniffle. "...Isn't this all my fault? Isn't it? Should I have known about Alhazred's plans? You guys were in great danger...how could I have not heard? Soundproof walls or not...I should've heard..."

Nathaniel gripped his staff tighter. On the inside, he was only a scarecrow. But he sure could do necromancy.

And if it was necromancy that transformed him...what else could it do?

_'They're only children...they won't wake up for a while. But what if they were older? What if they had more endurance? What if they woke up in a few hours? What if...'_

Nathaniel shot to his feet, and held his staff over Danielle. He began to slowly wave it back and forth like a flag, eyes lulling shut and muscles loosening. He began to chant a spell:

_**"Nigromantii scriptor incantatores, aetate accelerari."**_** (2)**

He chanted that repeatedly, and black magic began to swirl around the children. He closed his eyes and crossed his fingers. He prayed to Bartleby that the spell would work, that nothing would happen to them...

His lips broke out into a grin when he opened his eyes to see not children, but four teenagers that looked quite similar to the children that used to lay in those beds.

_"We're back in buisness," _Nathaniel whispered to himself. He turned and left the room to find Shalek.

**1 - Scarecrows don't have feet, so they levitate. If you were scared out of your mind, it would be hard to stay on your feet. You would probably be shaking and having trouble standing. For a scarecrow, it would be hard to keep levitating.**

**2 - Translation: "Necromancer's spell, accelerate age."**


End file.
